Tablets go mainstream in UK, play key role in digital lives

Kantar Media's FutureProof study reveals the continuing popularity of tablets. The devices have become mainstream in the UK with almost half of the country's 16-44 year olds owning or having access to one.

Forty-five percent of UK adults now own a tablet, according to Kantar Media. That's up from 36% at the end of 2013. Among those of ages 35-44 penetration rises to 58%, some of whom have more than one tablet in their household.

Tablets have become the 'go to' mobile device for catching up with television shows. More people access the BBC's iPlayer catch up service on a tablet than via any other device, probably due to the larger screen size.

Apple remains the market leader with 56% of tablet users owning an iPad, although this is a decrease from six months ago when 63% owned an iPad. Meanwhile, Android ownership is up - more than a third (37%) of tablet owners now own an Android up 10 percentage points from last year.

However, despite being a mobile device many (44%) never take their tablet out of the home.

According to Kantar Media Custom director, Trevor Vagg, tablets are now a "need to have" device rather than simply "nice to have" and are rapidly becoming an important part of people's digital lives.

"The arrival of cheaper Android based tablets such as Tesco's Hudl and the Kindle Fire has turned what was a premium device into something that's much more ubiquitous but also increasingly as personal as the smartphone we use when we are on the go," says Vagg. "These shifts open new doors for advertisers in terms of targeted messaging opportunities."